Hand Held Spotlight

ABSTRACT

A hand-held lighting device is disclosed with a handle and a head housing a first and second light source, wherein a longitudinal axis of the head is disposed at a non-parallel angle with respect to a longitudinal axis of the handle. The first light source is annular light emitting diode and the second light source is a light excited phosphor.

PRIORITY CLAIM

The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional ApplicationSer. No. 63/242,799 filed on Sep. 10, 2021 entitled “Spotlight” which isincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to lighting devices, systems,and associated methods and more particularly to an improved apparatusand system for providing an improved hand-held spotlight with area lightcapabilities.

BACKGROUND

Lighting devices are commonly used to provide illumination both at closerange and at a distance. However, several disadvantages in currentlighting are overcome by aspects of the current technology. Including,but without limitation, the ability to throw a spotlight a significantdistance while also have area illumination, in a compact, hand-helddevice that contains its own power source and is ergonomically superior.Other advantages are apparent in the description of aspects of thetechnology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

To further clarify the above and other aspects of the presenttechnology, a more particular description of the invention will berendered by reference to specific aspects thereof which are illustratedin the appended drawings. It is appreciated that these drawings depictonly typical aspects of the technology and are therefore not to beconsidered limiting of its scope. The drawings are not drawn to scale.The technology will be described and explained with additionalspecificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional side view of a lighting device in accordancewith one aspect of the technology;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional perspective view of a lighting device inaccordance with one aspect of the technology;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional side view of a portion of a lighting devicein accordance with one aspect of the technology;

FIG. 4 is a cross sectional perspective view of a portion of a lightingdevice in accordance with one aspect of the technology;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a lighting device in accordance with oneaspect of the technology;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a lighting device in accordance with oneaspect of the technology; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a lighting device in accordance with oneaspect of the technology.

DESCRIPTION OF ASPECTS

Although the following detailed description contains many specifics forthe purpose of illustration, a person of ordinary skill in the art willappreciate that many variations and alterations to the following detailscan be made and are considered to be included herein. Accordingly, thefollowing embodiments are set forth without any loss of generality to,and without imposing limitations upon, any claims set forth. It is alsoto be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose ofdescribing particular embodiments only, and is not intended to belimiting. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific termsused herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one ofordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

As used in this specification and the appended claims, the singularforms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the contextclearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a layer”includes a plurality of such layers.

In this disclosure, “comprises,” “comprising,” “containing” and “having”and the like can have the meaning ascribed to them in U.S. patent lawand can mean “includes,” “including,” and the like, and are generallyinterpreted to be open ended terms. The terms “consisting of” or“consists of” are closed terms, and include only the components,structures, steps, or the like specifically listed in conjunction withsuch terms, as well as that which is in accordance with U.S. patent law.“Consisting essentially of” or “consists essentially of” have themeaning generally ascribed to them by U.S. patent law. In particular,such terms are generally closed terms, with the exception of allowinginclusion of additional items, materials, components, steps, orelements, that do not materially affect the basic and novelcharacteristics or function of the item(s) used in connection therewith.For example, trace elements present in a composition, but not affectingthe compositions nature or characteristics would be permissible ifpresent under the “consisting essentially of” language, even though notexpressly recited in a list of items following such terminology. Whenusing an open ended term, like “comprising” or “including,” it isunderstood that direct support should be afforded also to “consistingessentially of” language as well as “consisting of” language as ifstated explicitly and vice versa.

The terms “first,” “second,” “third,” “fourth,” and the like in thedescription and in the claims, if any, are used for distinguishingbetween similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particularsequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that any termsso used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such thatthe embodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operationin sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.Similarly, if a method is described herein as comprising a series ofsteps, the order of such steps as presented herein is not necessarilythe only order in which such steps may be performed, and certain of thestated steps may possibly be omitted and/or certain other steps notdescribed herein may possibly be added to the method.

The terms “left,” “right,” “front,” “back,” “top,” “bottom,” “over,”“under,” and the like in the description and in the claims, if any, areused for descriptive purposes and not necessarily for describingpermanent relative positions. It is to be understood that the terms soused are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that theembodiments described herein are, for example, capable of operation inother orientations than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as directly or indirectlyconnected in an electrical or nonelectrical manner. Objects describedherein as being “adjacent to” each other may be in physical contact witheach other, in close proximity to each other, or in the same generalregion or area as each other, as appropriate for the context in whichthe phrase is used. Occurrences of the phrase “in one embodiment,” or“in one aspect,” herein do not necessarily all refer to the sameembodiment or aspect.

As used herein, the term “substantially” refers to the complete ornearly complete extent or degree of an action, characteristic, property,state, structure, item, or result. For example, an object that is“substantially” enclosed would mean that the object is either completelyenclosed or nearly completely enclosed. The exact allowable degree ofdeviation from absolute completeness may in some cases depend on thespecific context. However, generally speaking the nearness of completionwill be so as to have the same overall result as if absolute and totalcompletion were obtained. The use of “substantially” is equallyapplicable when used in a negative connotation to refer to the completeor near complete lack of an action, characteristic, property, state,structure, item, or result. For example, a composition that is“substantially free of” particles would either completely lackparticles, or so nearly completely lack particles that the effect wouldbe the same as if it completely lacked particles. In other words, acomposition that is “substantially free of” an ingredient or element maystill actually contain such item as long as there is no measurableeffect thereof.

As used herein, the term “about” is used to provide flexibility to anumerical range endpoint by providing that a given value may be “alittle above” or “a little below” the endpoint. Unless otherwise stated,use of the term “about” in accordance with a specific number ornumerical range should also be understood to provide support for suchnumerical terms or range without the term “about”. For example, for thesake of convenience and brevity, a numerical range of “about 50angstroms to about 80 angstroms” should also be understood to providesupport for the range of “50 angstroms to 80 angstroms.”

As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements, compositionalelements, and/or materials may be presented in a common list forconvenience. However, these lists should be construed as though eachmember of the list is individually identified as a separate and uniquemember. Thus, no individual member of such list should be construed as ade facto equivalent of any other member of the same list solely based ontheir presentation in a common group without indications to thecontrary.

Concentrations, amounts, and other numerical data may be expressed orpresented herein in a range format. It is to be understood that such arange format is used merely for convenience and brevity and thus shouldbe interpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical valuesexplicitly recited as the limits of the range, but also to include allthe individual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within thatrange as if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited. Asan illustration, a numerical range of “about 1 to about 5” should beinterpreted to include not only the explicitly recited values of about 1to about 5, but also include individual values and sub-ranges within theindicated range. Thus, included in this numerical range are individualvalues such as 2, 3, and 4 and sub-ranges such as from 1-3, from 2-4,and from 3-5, etc., as well as 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, individually.

This same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical valueas a minimum or a maximum. Furthermore, such an interpretation shouldapply regardless of the breadth of the range or the characteristicsbeing described.

Reference throughout this specification to “an example” means that aparticular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connectionwith the example is included in at least one embodiment. Thus,appearances of the phrases “in an example” in various places throughoutthis specification are not necessarily all referring to the sameembodiment.

Reference in this specification may be made to devices, structures,systems, or methods that provide “improved” performance. It is to beunderstood that unless otherwise stated, such “improvement” is a measureof a benefit obtained based on a comparison to devices, structures,systems or methods in the prior art. Furthermore, it is to be understoodthat the degree of improved performance may vary between disclosedembodiments and that no equality or consistency in the amount, degree,or realization of improved performance is to be assumed as universallyapplicable.

Example Embodiments

An initial overview of technology embodiments is provided below andspecific technology embodiments are then described in further detail.This initial summary is intended to aid readers in understanding thetechnology more quickly, but is not intended to identify key oressential features of the technology, nor is it intended to limit thescope of the claimed subject matter.

Broadly speaking, aspects of the disclosed technology create an improvedspot light configured and equipped with area lighting elements so thatthe focused spotlight element may be employed concurrently oralternatively with an area lighting element. In certain aspects oflighting technology, the spot light element comprises a light emittingdiode (LED) or a laser excited phosphor (LEP) disposed within a lightemitting chamber. In one aspect, the area light element comprises anannular substrate with one or more LEDs disposed about the annularsubstrate and configured such that the spot light element emits lightthrough the center of the annular substrate. In an aspect where the LEP31 is used, there is no need for a concave or conical reflector togather and focus a spotlight beam in a forward direction thus allowing asmaller overall form factor of the lighting device while stillmaintaining a significant “throw” for the spotlight feature.

With reference now to the figures, FIGS. 1 through 8 illustrate oneexample of a hand-held lighting device 10. The lighting device 10generally comprises an outside housing 11 configured with a first cavity12 for a rechargeable power source (e.g., a battery) disposed within ahandle 13 of the device 10. The housing 11 further comprises a secondcavity 30 with a primary light source 31, a secondary light source 40,and a fixed lens 50 disposed there. In one aspect of the technology, thesecond cavity 30 is disposed above the handle 13 and oriented such thatthe direction of light emitted from both the primary light source 31 andthe secondary light source 40 is not parallel to the longitudinal axis32 along line A-A of the handle 13. Meaning, the longitudinal axis 32A-A of the handle 13 is not parallel with the longitudinal axis 14 alongline B-B. In one aspect of the technology, the handle 13 comprises asubstantially elliptical geometry having a major axis and a minor axis.The major axis of the elliptically shaped handle 13 is normal to thelongitudinal axis 32 of line A-A through the first cavity 12 of handle13.

In one aspect of the technology, in contrast to the elliptical geometryof the handle 13, the second cavity 30 and the portion of housing 11that envelops the primary and second light sources and the lens 15, iscylindrical.

In one aspect of the technology, the major axis of the ellipticalgeometry of the handle 13 is greater than the diameter of thecylindrical second cavity 30. In another aspect, the major axis of theelliptical geometry of the handle 13 is substantially the same as thediameter of the cylindrical second cavity 30. In yet another aspect, themajor axis of the elliptical geometry of the handle 13 is less than thediameter of the cylindrical second cavity 30.

While reference is made to the diameter of the cylindrical second cavity30, the comparisons of the major axis of the elliptical geometry of thehandle 13 are also applicable to the outside cylinder or barrel 17 thatforms part of the outside of housing 11. In one aspect, the outsidecylinder or barrel 17 encloses a second cylinder or barrel 25, thesecond cylinder 25 defining, at least in part, the second cavity 30. Inone aspect, a void 28 is located between the second cylinder 25 andoutside cylinder 17. In another aspect of the technology, the major axisof the elliptical geometry of the handle 13 is greater than the diameterof the lens 15. In another aspect, the major axis of the ellipticalgeometry of the handle 13 is substantially the same as the diameter ofthe lens 15. In yet another aspect, the major axis of the ellipticalgeometry of the handle 30 is less than the diameter of the lens 15.

In another aspect of the technology, the geometry of the cavity 30 isconical having a first diameter near LEP 31 that is smaller than asecond diameter near lens 15. In that aspect, the lens 15 issubstantially flat on both a front and back side of the lens 15 ratherthan having a flat back side (i.e., the side facing the LEP 31) and acurvilinear front side (i.e., the side facing outward of the LEP 31). Inone aspect, the inside of cavity 30, is characterized by a conical walland is coated with a reflective material or comprises a reflectivematerial.

In one aspect of the technology, handle 13 comprises a substantiallyflat base 20 with a belt clip 21 attached thereto. Prior spotlightdevices have been configured in such a way that attachment to a belt wasimpractical or impossible due, in part, to the size of the head requiredto produce a useable spot light. Aspects of the current technologyprovide for a more compact head that allows the user to attach the lightto a utility belt for quick access and deployment with a single hand. Inother aspects, a clip may be attached near a top of the handle 13 ornear the head of the light.

In addition, the base 20 is configured such that the entire device 10may be disposed about a flat surface and remain in a standing positionwithout any additional support. In one aspect, a surface area of thesubstantially flat base 20 is greater than an area of a circle createdby an imaginary cross section through the second cavity 30. In thismanner, while the device 10 is in a “standing” position, and the secondcavity 30 is not axially aligned or disposed above the flat base 20, thebase 20 keeps the device 10 in a balanced state.

In one aspect of the technology, the base 20 is pivotally attached tohandle 13 and may be removed so that cavity 12 is accessible to insertand/or remove batteries into the first cavity 12. A plurality ofelectrical contacts 18 are located on the base 20 and at the top ofcavity 12 and are configured to couple with batteries disposed withinthe first cavity 12. A plurality of status indicator lights 29 aredisposed about the back side of the device 10 near a top above thehandle 13 which can provide status as to the amount of charge remainingin the batteries.

The housing 11 further comprises a power switch 44, a control switch 45,and a logic controller such as a programmable logic controller or PLC.The control switch 45 is also coupled to the PLC and permits the user toswitch between different modes of operation including, but withoutlimitation, powering just the first light source 31, just the secondlight source 40, or both the first and second light sources (31, 40)concurrently. A PLC is a digital computer used for automation of certainelectromechanical processes, such as control of machinery on factoryassembly lines, amusement rides, or light fixtures. PLCs are designedfor multiple arrangements of digital and analog inputs and outputs,extended temperature ranges, immunity to electrical noise, andresistance to vibration and impact. In one aspect of the technology, theinstructions to control operation of the lighting device operation arestored in battery-backed-up or non-volatile memory. Memory refers toelectronic circuitry that allows information, typically computer data,to be stored and retrieved.

As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, aspects of the presenttechnology may be embodied as a system, method or computer programproduct used in connection with a lighting device. Accordingly, aspectsof the present technology may take the form of an entirely hardwareembodiment, an entirely software embodiment (including firmware,resident software, micro-code, etc.) or an embodiment combining softwareand hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a“circuit,” “module” or “system.” Furthermore, aspects of the presentinvention may take the form of a computer program product embodied inone or more computer readable medium(s) having computer readable programcode embodied thereon.

Any combination of one or more computer readable medium(s) may beutilized. The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signalmedium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readablestorage medium may be, for example, but not limited to, an electronic,magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system,apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination of the foregoing. Morespecific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer readablestorage medium would include the following: an electrical connectionhaving one or more wires, a random access memory (RAM), a read-onlymemory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flashmemory), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or anysuitable combination of the foregoing. In the context of this document,a computer readable storage medium may be any tangible medium that cancontain, or store a program for use by or in connection with aninstruction execution system, apparatus, or device.

Program code embodied on a computer readable medium may be transmittedusing any appropriate medium, including but not limited to wireless,wireline, optical fiber cable, RF, etc., or any suitable combination ofthe foregoing. Computer program code for carrying out operations foraspects of the present technology may be written in any combination ofone or more programming languages, including an object orientedprogramming language such as Java, Visual Basic, SQL, C++ or the likeand conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C”programming language or similar programming languages.

With reference to FIGS. 1 through 8 , in one aspect of the technology,the primary or first light source 31 comprises an LEP disposed withinthe second cavity 30. The second cavity comprises a cylindrical lightemission chamber with the LEP 31 disposed about a first end 32 and afixed lens 15 disposed about a second end 33. The LEP 31 is configuredto propagate light in a direction that is parallel with the longitudinalaxis 14 along line B-B of the cavity 30. In one aspect of thetechnology, the LEP 31 is fixedly disposed a predetermined distance awayfrom the back of lens 15. In another example, however, the LEP 31 ismounted to a sliding assembly that is coupled to a rotating or linearlysliding element about the outside of housing 11 so that the LEP 31 maybe moved closer to the back of lens 15 or away from lens 15. In anotheraspect, the lens 15 is moveable in an axial direction with respect toboth the COB LED 40 and the LEP 31. In another aspect, the lens 15 andthe COB LED 40 are fixed together so that any movement in an axialdirection of the lens 15 also includes movement of COB LED 40.

In one aspect of the technology, the LEP 31 comprises a laser diode 50in the form of a semiconductor laser, for example, disposed about a backor rear side of a cylinder. In one aspect, the laser diode 50 may, forexample, provide coherent light within the range of 400-480 nm and430-470 nm. Beam 51 from the laser diode is the coherent beam of laserlight. Beam 51 is propagated in a direction that is parallel with alongitudinal axis of the head of the light 10. The beam 51 strikes, andinteracts with, a spectrum converter 52 disposed about a front side ofthe cylinder. In one aspect, the spectrum converter 52 comprises anepoxy, silicone-based compound, ceramic compound, or synthetic polymersuch as acrylic or methyl methylacrylate, all containing particles ofphosphor. Converter 52 converts the incoming coherent laser beam 51 fromlaser diode 50 into outgoing broad spectrum light 53 in a direction thatis parallel with a longitudinal axis of the head of light 10. The light53 may be of any specified color, such as, but not limited to, whitelight (about 380 nm to about 780 nm), red light (about 620 nm to about750 nm), green light (about 490 nm to about 570 nm), blue light (about450 nm to about 490 nm), ultraviolet light (about 10 nm to about 400nm), or infrared light (about 780 nm to about 1 mm), and is a functionof the chemical composition of the phosphor disposed in the spectrumconverter 52.

In one aspect of the technology, the phosphors in the spectrum converter52 comprise oxynitride phosphors or nitride phosphors, and emit light ofdifferent colors such as blue, green, and red. In an instance where thelaser light source 50 includes a GaN-based semiconductor laser, thelaser light source 50 emits a laser beam having a wavelength between 400and 410 nm, 400 and 450 nm, or 440 and 460 nm. In one aspect, thephosphors include (i) yellow phosphors or (ii) a mixture of greenphosphors and red phosphors. Yellow phosphors emit light having awavelength that range from about 560 nm to about 590 nm. Green phosphorsemit light having a wavelength that ranges from about 510 nm to about560 nm. Red phosphors emit light having a wavelength that ranges fromabout 600 nm to about 680 nm.

In one aspect of the technology, the phosphors comprise oxynitridephosphors or nitride phosphors or sialon phosphors. Sialon is asubstance in which the silicon atoms and nitrogen atoms in siliconnitride are partially substituted by aluminum atoms and oxygen atoms,respectively. Sialon phosphors can be prepared by making a solidsolution of silicon nitride (Si3N4), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silica(SiO2), and/or a rare earth. Another example of the phosphors issemiconductor nanoparticle phosphors made of nanometer-size III-Vcompound semiconductor particles. Semiconductor nanoparticle phosphorshas a characteristic that even in a case where they are made of a singlecompound semiconductor (for example, indium phosphide ROD, it ispossible to change a color of emission light with use of a quantum sizeeffect caused by changing a particle diameter of the semiconductornanoparticle phosphors. For example, semiconductor nanoparticlephosphors made of InP emit red light in a case where it has a particlesize ranges from about 3 nm to about 4 nm. In another aspect, the LEPcomprises a composite ceramic comprising yttrium aluminum garnet,activated by cerium ions Ce3+:YAG, and aluminum oxide Al2O3.

In one aspect of the technology, secondary light source 40 comprises a“chip-on-board” or COB light source which specifically refers to lightemitting diode (LED) chips in the form of a semiconductor chip that isneither encased nor connected but directly mounted onto a substrate,such as a PCB. As such, a plurality of semiconductor light sources maybe configured on the same substrate. While reference is made herein toCOB LED lights, aspects of the technology are not limited to thatspecific aspect. Different LED lights/light sources may suffice so longas the light source 40 functions as an “area” light. An “area” light isa light that provides illumination about the immediate area of the user.Advantageously, the “area” light 40 provides immediate illumination forthe user if needed, while the spotlight 31 throws a beam of light asignificant distance to illuminate a distant target.

In one aspect, the secondary or second light source 40 is an annular COBLED that is disposed about the second end 33 of the cavity 30 and aboutthe outer perimeter of base 16 of the lens 15. In one aspect, the lens15 is a convex lens having a substantially flat base 16 and acurvilinear top 17. With the annular COB LED 40 disposed about the outerperimeter of base 16, light from LEP 31 that is collimated by lens 15functions as a spot light, while light from the annular COB LED 40serves as an area light. Advantageously, with the COB LED 40 mounted atthe base 16 of the convex lens 15 and outside the inner perimeter ofcavity 30, the two light sources can operate independently of oneanother without significant overlap in light transmission.

In one aspect of the technology, the device 10 is used without lens 15.Rather, a collimating lens 55 or collimating device is disposed aboutthe distal end of LEP 31. Light propagated from LEP 31 passes throughthe outer flat lens 19 of device 10. However, in another aspect, acollimating lens is disposed about the distal end of LEP 31 and thedistal end of the handheld device (as shown at 15).

While reference is made herein to primary and secondary light sources,or first and second light sources, those terms are meant to beinterchangeable in identifying the different light sources used inconjunction with the current technology. Meaning LEP 31 or annular COBLED 40 may be referred to interchangeably as primary or secondary, orfirst or second, so long as the two are identifiably distinct from oneanother.

Aspects of the technology permit the user to have an area light fromannular light emitting diode 40, for example, and a spot light from LEP31 that throws a beam of light for a significant distance while still bemeasurable at a significant lumen strength. In one aspect, the device 10is capable of producing a beam of light that measures 640,000 candelawith an effective distance of 1 mile. In another aspect, the device 10is capable of producing a beam of light that measures 500 lumens with aneffective distance of 137 feet. In another aspect the device 10 iscapable of producing a beam of light that measures between about 620,000to about 640,000 candela at an effective distance of between about 0.8and about 1 mile. In another aspect, the device 10 is capable ofproducing a beam of light that measures between about 400 lumens andabout 500 lumens with an effective distance of between about 120 and 137feet.

In one aspect of the technology, the PLC is configured to regulate thepulse-width-modulation (or PWM) of the LEP 31 or COB LED 40 at aplurality of different duty cycles in a plurality of differentsequences. PWM is one way of regulating the brightness of a light. Inone aspect, light emission from the LEP 31 and/or COB LED 40 iscontrolled by pulses wherein the width of these pulses is modulated tocontrol the amount of light perceived by the user of the lightingdevice. When the full direct current voltage runs through an LEP 31and/or the COB LED 40, the maximum of light is emitted 100% of the time.That is, the light sources emit light 100% of the time when in an “ON”mode. With PWM, the voltage supplied to the light sources can be “ON”50% of the time and “OFF” 50% of the time so that the light sources giveoff its maximum amount of light only 50% of the time. This is referredto as a 50% duty cycle. In this scenario, if the ON-OFF cycle ismodulated fast enough, human eyes will perceive only half the amount oflight coming from the light sources. That is, with such an input on thelight sources, the amount of light given off appears diminished by 50%.While specific reference is made to a 50% duty cycle, the duty cycle ofthe light sources described herein may be greater or lesser than 50% assuits a particular purpose. In one aspect, the PLC, power source,control switch 45, and different light sources are all operably coupledtogether.

In one aspect of the technology, LEP 31 lights require a driver in orderto provide/deliver a desired output. The driver may be internally orexternally incorporated into the LEP 31 and can be either constantcurrent or constant voltage. Both constant current and constant voltagedrivers act as a power supply for an LEP 31 light source. LEP driversprovide and regulate the necessary voltage in order to maintainoperation of the LEP 31. In one aspect of the technology, a constantcurrent LEP driver operates within a range of output voltages and afixed output current (amps). An LEP 31 is rated to operate at a forwardvoltage with an associated current, and a supply is needed to deliverthe required operational voltage and current. In one aspect, a constantcurrent driver varies the voltage along an electronic circuit whichallows a constant electrical current through the LEP 31 device. In oneaspect of the technology, a constant voltage driver operates on a singledirect current (DC) output voltage (e.g., 12 VDC or 24 VDC, etc.). Thedriver will maintain a constant voltage no matter the load current. Inone aspect of the technology, the power mode of the lighting device maybe changed by changing the current that is available from the LEP 31drive circuitry. In one aspect of the technology, an electronic circuitcomprises an overall voltage supply that is high enough to span thenumber of LEPs in series (e.g., 3.2V is a forward voltage rating foreach of three LEPs, etc.), and a 10 Ohm resistor component is used toset the desired current. By varying the resistor, brightness of the LEPsis varied up to the forward current limitation of the LEP 31. Of course,different forward voltage ratings and different resistors, or othercircuit components, may be used as a means of regulating constantcurrent in an LEP device.

It is noted that no specific order is required in these methods unlessrequired by the claims set forth herein, though generally in someembodiments, the method steps can be carried out sequentially.

The foregoing detailed description describes the technology withreference to specific exemplary aspects. However, it will be appreciatedthat various modifications and changes can be made without departingfrom the scope of the present technology as set forth in the appendedclaims. The detailed description and accompanying drawing are to beregarded as merely illustrative, rather than as restrictive, and allsuch modifications or changes, if any, are intended to fall within thescope of the present technology as described and set forth herein.

More specifically, while illustrative exemplary aspects of thetechnology have been described herein, the present technology is notlimited to these aspects, but includes any and all aspects havingmodifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across variousaspects), adaptations and/or alterations as would be appreciated bythose skilled in the art based on the foregoing detailed description.The limitations in the claims are to be interpreted broadly based on thelanguage employed in the claims and not limited to examples described inthe foregoing detailed description or during the prosecution of theapplication, which examples are to be construed as non-exclusive. Forexample, in the present disclosure, the term “preferably” isnon-exclusive where it is intended to mean “preferably, but not limitedto.” Any steps recited in any method or process claims may be executedin any order and are not limited to the order presented in the claims.Means-plus-function or step-plus-function limitations will only beemployed where for a specific claim limitation all of the followingconditions are present in that limitation: a) “means for” or “step for”is expressly recited; and b) a corresponding function is expresslyrecited. The structure, material or acts that support themeans-plus-function are expressly recited in the description herein.Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined solely bythe appended claims and their legal equivalents, rather than by thedescriptions and examples given above.

1. A hand-held lighting device, comprising: a handle; a head disposedabout a top of the handle comprising a first and second light source,wherein a longitudinal axis of the head is disposed at an angle greaterthan 90 degrees but less than 180 degrees with respect to a longitudinalaxis of the handle; wherein the first light source comprises an annularlight emitting diode; wherein the second light source comprises a lightexcited phosphor; and a power source coupled to the first and secondlight source.
 2. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the lightexcited phosphor comprises a coherent laser light source propagated ontoa ceramic substrate.
 3. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein thelight excited phosphor comprises a cylinder with a laser diode disposedabout a proximal end and a phosphor substrate disposed about a distalend.
 4. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein the second light sourceis disposed behind the first light source.
 5. The lighting device ofclaim 1, wherein the second light source is disposed at the proximal endof one of a cylindrical chamber or a conical chamber within the head ofthe lighting device.
 6. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein thehandle has an elliptical geometry and the head has a cylindricalgeometry.
 7. The lighting device of claim 1, wherein a width of thehandle is greater than a diameter of the head.
 8. A hand-held lightingdevice, comprising: a handle having a major axis and a minor axis, themajor axis and minor axis being normal to a longitudinal axis of thehandle, the major axis being normal to the minor axis; a head disposedabout a top of the handle, the head comprising a first and second lightsource, the first light source comprising an annular light emittingdiode and the second light source comprises a light excited phosphor;wherein a longitudinal axis of the head is disposed at an angle that isnon-parallel to the longitudinal axis of the handle; and a power sourcedisposed within the lighting device.
 9. The lighting device of claim 8,wherein the second light source is shaped to approximate a cylinderhaving a first end and a second end, the second end comprising a laserdiode configured to propagate a beam of coherent laser light in adirection parallel with the longitudinal axis of the head.
 10. Thelighting device of claim 9, wherein the beam of coherent laser strikes aspectrum converter disposed about the first end of the second lightsource, the spectrum converter configured to convert the laser light towhite light and propagate white light in a direction parallel with thelongitudinal axis of the head.
 11. The lighting device of claim 8,further comprising a base disposed about a bottom of the handle, thebase comprising a substantially flat bottom having a surface areagreater than the area of an imaginary plane passing through the head atan angle normal to the longitudinal axis of the head.
 12. The lightingdevice of claim 11, wherein the bottom of the base is parallel with thelongitudinal axis of the head.
 13. The lighting device of claim 12,wherein an axis normal to the longitudinal axis of the head passesthrough the second light source in the direction of the base but doesnot pass through the base.
 14. The lighting device of claim 9, wherein alens is disposed about a distal end of the light excited phosphor, thelight excited phosphor configured to propagate white light in adirection parallel with a longitudinal axis of the head and through anopening in the annular light emitting diode.
 15. The lighting device ofclaim 9, wherein the light excited phosphor comprises a spectrumconverter, the spectrum converter comprising an epoxy, silicone,ceramic, or synthetic polymer.
 16. A method of propagating light with ahand-held device: activating a first light source disposed about a headof the hand-held device, said first light source comprising an annularlight emitting diode disposed about a distal end of the head of thehand-held device, the annular light emitting diode comprising a voidwithin the interior of an annular light emitting diode; activating asecond light source through the void of the light emitting diode, saidsecond light source disposed about the head of the hand-held lightdevice, said second light source comprising a light excited phosphordisposed behind the first light source; propagating a beam of light fromthe second light source through the void of the first light source. 17.The method of claim 16, wherein the hand-held device comprises a handlecoupled to the head, the handle comprising: a longitudinal axis disposedat an angle that is non parallel with a longitudinal axis of the head; amajor axis and a minor axis forming an elliptical geometry, wherein themajor axis is disposed at an angle parallel with a longitudinal axis ofthe head.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the handle comprises apower source disposed within a base of the handle.
 19. The method ofclaim 16, further comprising propagating a beam of light from the secondlight source wherein the beam of light comprises an intensity of 640,000candela with an effective distance of 1 mile from the second lightsource.
 20. The method of claim 16, wherein the head comprises adiameter that is less than or equal to a width of the handle.